Wednesday 7 April 2010

Gil Scott Heron: Me And The Devil

Living in NYC I lost count of how many times this particular city was, and still is, a 'character' in the music business and entertainment industry.  We lived in DUMBO [meaning: Down Under Manhattan Bridge] an underpopulated and 'artsy' area at the time - many, many rap vids were filmed there down my street.  In spite of that and the persistence of Manhattan as film backdrop: the subway/graffiti/homelessness and disaffected youth - all cliches really - this video from GSH is startling in representing these concepts of urban realism in a monochrome, graphic language, replete with Shepard Fairey imagery and skull/Day of the Dead iconography - it's pure genius.  The album is also stunning.


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